1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to chemical reactors.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A chemical reactor includes a substantially closed chemical reaction chamber (CRC) where a chemical reaction occurs under controlled conditions. The CRC typically regulates reaction conditions in a manner that controls the production of byproducts. Regulating the reaction conditions may enable control of the reaction rate. Regulating the reaction conditions may enable selection of specific reaction pathways when competing reaction pathways exist.
Various chemical reactors have used heaters, spark generators, or light sources to initiate chemical reactions therein. Using a heater or spark generator as a reaction initiator provides some control over chemical reaction rates. Nevertheless, such initiators typically provide less control over the selection of a specific chemical reaction pathway when several pathways compete for available reactant molecules. Using a light source as a reaction initiator can improve the selectivity for specific reaction pathways, but suitable light sources are often expensive. For example, adding a monochromatic laser source to a chemical reactor may significantly increase the price of the chemical reactor.